Comets turn cold in third, lose to Toronto Marlies 5-2 to fall behind in AHL playoff series 2-1

UTICA – The boo birds flowed freely from the stands at the Adirondack Bank Center late in the third period Wednesday night.

Trailing 3-2 to the Toronto Marlies, the Utica Comets came up empty on their fourth power play of the evening.

Less than two minutes after the PP ended, Toronto’s Pontus Holmberg put the finishing touches on the Comets and the over 3,000 packed into the Aud.

The top-seeded Marlies defeated fourth-seeded Utica 5-2 Wednesday evening to take a 2-1 lead in their Calder Cup North Division Semifinals.

Ryan Chyzowski led the Marlies with two goals, which included the go-ahead score 4:34 into the third. Aarne Talvitie and Simon Nemec tallied the two Comets goals, both in the second period.

“With the amount of chances we were giving up, I don’t think we created as much as we had in the last 2-3 weeks,” coach Kevin Dineen said.

Here are some takeaways from the loss:

Marlies make change in goal

During the regular season, goaltending served as an issue for Toronto. Despite finishing third in points in the AHL’s Eastern Conference, the Marlies allowed 225 goals – middle of the pack.

That problem reared its ugly head in games one and two as Utica, whose scoring improved in April, tallied a combined 12 goals.

Toronto coach Greg Moore made the change in net, bringing in Erik Kallgren to replace Keith Pertruzzelli.

Kallgren showed his impact immediately, saving seven shots in the first. A goal from Chyzowski 4:57 in gave the Marlies a 1-0 lead.

Comets captain Ryan Schmelzer said the team received more than enough chances, but Kallgren completed some tough saves, especially in the second period.

However, the Comets still scored twice in the middle 20 minutes. The first occurred 5:33 in from Talvitie, 30 seconds after a Kyle Clifford penalty shot put Toronto up 2-0.

As intermission neared, Utica finally pushed another one past Kallgren as Nemec took a great dish from Nolan Stevens to nod it at two.

Marlies quell Comets’ hopes in third

Fans congregated inside the concourse of the Bank Center during the second intermission, confident that the Cardiac Comets would pull off another comeback win and move a win away from the North Division Final.

But Toronto showed why it was the division’s best in 2023 with a masterful third frame. Chyzowski gave the Marlies the lead less than five minutes into the third.

Schmelzer said the Comets went into the dressing room with confidence, but as the third rolled on, Utica failed to gain momentum and ended the period with seven shots-on-goal, five less than Toronto.

“We weren’t making enough plays with the puck in our own end,” Schmelzer said. “Before we had team breakouts and getting it in, and they were having some turnovers.”

Comets go 0/5 on power plays

The Comets experienced trouble on the PP in games one and two, going a combined 1/9 between the wins.

That plague continued into Wednesday and amplified, especially in the third.

Midway through the third, Utica received a gift as Marc Johnstone retreated to the box for a four-minute double minor.

But the powerplay was a disaster for Utica, and in fact, Nico Daws was forced to make some clutch saves to keep the Marlies off the board.

“We didn’t make enough plays, a couple of turnovers in the blue line, and they chip it out the other way,” Schmelzer said. “I don’t know if it was a lack of urgency, but we didn’t make enough plays.”

Dineen admitted the failed PP sapped the team’s confidence.

Bounce back needed Friday night

The pressure now returns to the Comets as Toronto reclaimed home ice.

Schmelzer asserted that the team remains calm and confident.

“If we play the way we want to play, the series should be ours,” he said. “It is a never say die mentality, which we’ve had all year, and I’m excited to see how we respond to it.”

Dineen said the squad must play with some desperation but stay composed.

Puck drop for Friday’s game is 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at uticacomets.com/tickets.

Noah Ram is the sports reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Noah Ram at nram@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: AHL Playoffs: Comets fall behind 2-1 to Toronto after 5-2 home loss